And it certainly never put a dent in his generous nature before he passed away last August.

So for his brother, Pat Mascaro Sr., the most logical way to honor his memory is with a blood drive.

“We were planning to do something every year to perpetuate Frankie’s legacy. And in my mind, his legacy is one of giving and concern for others,” Mascaro said, sitting in his office at J.P. Mascaro & Sons in Audubon. “His kindness and generosity touched a lot of people in a lot of different ways. He’ll continue to touch people because he established a charitable foundation, the Francesco A. Mascaro Charitable Trust, with most of his major business holdings. But independent of that, as a family we want to do something every year of a substantial nature to commemorate his generosity and his goodness. We’re starting with a blood drive because it makes so much sense.”

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Mascaro’s wife, Susan Lee Mascaro, and a friend, Laurene Cianfrani, who works for the American Red Cross, came up with the idea of conducting a blood drive, Mascaro said.

“I thought it was an unbelievable idea because people need blood and there aren’t many families that haven’t had a need for blood,” he said. “There’s never enough blood to go around.”

The family has set a goal of raising commitments for 1,000 pints by March 3, said Mascaro, who runs the trash and recycling company with brothers J.P. Mascaro Jr., Louis Mascaro, Michael Mascaro and Pasquale Mascaro.

“It’s not easy, but no pain, no gain, right?” Mascaro said. “We set a high standard for ourselves and we intend to get those 1,000 pints of blood. It’s been very rewarding because the response has been incredible. We have a lot of clients, suppliers, friends, associates and we’re very active in the community.”

Several churches and organizations are also on board with the blood drive.

“The bulk of the donations will be in August, because that’s when the Red Cross has the biggest shortage,” Mascaro said. “But that isn’t going to prevent anybody from setting up blood drives between now and the rest of the year. We, in fact, have blood drives established for March.”

Those interested in committing to a blood donation either at the J.P. Mascaro facility at 2650 Audubon Road or at any of several locations to be announced are asked to call 267-933-6102 or e-mail donateblood@jpmascaro.com by March 3.

“They tell us when and where they want to donate and we’ll make it convenient for them,” Mascaro said, adding that the American Red Cross will also visit businesses and organizations who commit to at least 20 pints of blood.

Not surprisingly, the family has a reward in store for those who help celebrate the memory of Frank Mascaro, a 1965 graduate of Methacton High School and an integral part of J.P. Mascaro & Sons’ success.

“We want to thank all the participating people and entities with a nice Italian festival,” Mascaro said with a smile.